At first, most of the Dark Elves watching the scene had no idea what Rei was doing.
He had simply slipped the ring off his finger.
Was that really enough to change the current situation?
Ragdo's faction believed Rei had dug his own grave. They rejoiced, thinking they could now condemn Marina even more harshly.
The vast majority of the other Dark Elves felt anxious about what would happen to Marina as a result of Rei's actions.
Nearly every Dark Elf present took one of these two stances.
However... "most" did not mean "all."
Those with the ability to sense mana, and others who could detect an opponent's mana through similar means, realized that the person before them was by no means an ordinary human.
To draw a comparison, it was like the endlessly stretching blue sky. Or perhaps an erupting volcano that would burn all life to ashes.
The few who had seen the sea associated it with the vast, overwhelming expanse of an ocean that could almost be called eternity.
Through such abilities, those who realized what kind of being Rei was found themselves so astonished they couldn't even speak.
Some of the more faint-hearted among them simply let go of their consciousness and fainted on the spot.
And then... Resume, who had told Ragdo that Rei had almost no mana...
"H-Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!"
Sensing that the gazes directed at Ragdo were now turning toward him as well, he screamed, his legs giving out as he crashed onto his backside on the ground.
Worse still, a puddle began to spread from Resume's lower half as he sat there on the ground.
Even among Dark Elves, those with the ability to sense mana were by no means common.
Of course, perhaps because they were more attuned to mana than humans, there were a fair number of them—but looking at the overall population, the count was still small.
Moreover, while a large number of Dark Elves had gathered in this plaza, they weren't the entirety of the settlement's population.
As a result, the number of people who actually sensed Rei's mana was inevitably very small, and it took a little time for the other Dark Elves to notice the abnormality.
Even so, the first to notice the strange behavior among those with mana-sensing abilities were, naturally, Elena and her party, who already knew the full extent of Rei's power.
Some members of their party didn't possess the ability to sense mana, but as long as they were traveling with him, they naturally knew just how vast his mana was.
The next to notice the abnormality was Optis, who was standing a short distance away from Rei.
This was likely because he wasn't as far from Rei as the other Dark Elves.
He could clearly see several Dark Elves falling into a state better described as frenzy than mere astonishment.
Still, the reason the mana-sensing Dark Elves didn't cause a massive uproar was largely because Ragdo's subordinate had caused a scene first, which allowed them to slightly regain their senses.
Then, a few sharp-witted Dark Elves noticed the abnormality, and Ragdo soon after realized something was wrong with his own subordinate.
"H-Hey! What's wrong! Hey!"
He directed an unbelieving stare at his subordinate, who was wetting the ground.
It was only natural. Resume was a man who served him faithfully on a daily basis, and with his rare ability, he was an extremely capable one at that.
He was definitely not the kind of person to make such a disgraceful spectacle of himself...
(In other words, this happened because that man named Rei did something. I don't know how, but there's no doubt he's behind this...)
Reaching this conclusion, Ragdo turned his gaze toward Rei.
Just moments ago, Ragdo had been unable to move due to the sheer presence Rei emanated. But with a little time having passed, he had grown somewhat accustomed to it. Above all, he absolutely could not forgive Rei for harming his subordinate through some unknown means.
"Hey! Rei! What did you do to him!"
Ragdo shouted, abandoning his usual polite tone out of anger over his harmed subordinate. But Rei's only response was to slip the ring back on and give a small shrug.
That likely fueled Ragdo's anger even further. Dyeing his brown skin—typical of a Dark Elf—red with rage, he tried to close the distance to Rei...
"You must not, Ragdo-sama!"
The one who grabbed Ragdo's hand to stop him was Resume, who had been cowering in fear and wetting the ground just seconds ago.
Driven by his loyalty to Ragdo, he had somehow managed to pull himself out of his panic.
Now that he understood what kind of being Rei was, picking a fight with such a monster was something he absolutely had to avoid.
Resume, with his mana-sensing ability, understood this perfectly. Unfortunately, Ragdo did not possess such an ability.
He was convinced Rei had used some suspicious power to harm his subordinate.
Yet here was that same subordinate stopping him, leaving Ragdo with a look of mild confusion.
"What is it? Did that man do something to you? If so, shouldn't you make him regret it?"
At those words, Rei smiled and glanced at Resume, who was trying to hold Ragdo back.
He hadn't given a piercing glare that would freeze someone in place, but for Resume, who was on the receiving end of that glance, it was more than enough.
(An ordinary human possessing that kind of mana? No way, that's absurd... No, I have to calm Ragdo-sama down first. Making an enemy of him must be absolutely avoided!)
Seemingly unconcerned about his wet crotch, Resume desperately pleaded with Ragdo.
"No! That man... Rei didn't do anything! I was just... I was simply overwhelmed by the mana Rei possesses!"
Ragdo tilted his head, wondering what Resume was talking about.
To Ragdo, Resume was a man he relied on heavily enough to call his right hand.
One of the main reasons for this was his ability to sense mana. Because of that, when Resume had earlier reported that Rei's mana was low... Ragdo thought back to it, recalling how Rei had taken off his ring.
That action, which had seemed so incredibly meaningful, was—in retrospect—practically a declaration that there was something more to it.
The only reason he hadn't noticed was because the abnormalities displayed by Resume and the other Dark Elves had left such a powerful impression.
Considering all these factors, it didn't take a second thought to realize what Rei had done.
"That ring... is it a Magic Item with the ability to suppress mana?"
"...Yes. But even among Magic Items, I've never seen one with such capability. Could it be that there are many Magic Items like that outside the forest?"
Like the vast majority of Dark Elves, Resume had never left the forest.
He had always believed that they, the Dark Elves, were skilled at manipulating mana. But now he wondered if, perhaps, in the human world, there were many Magic Items with such extraordinary capabilities.
There were Dark Elves who could use Alchemy to create Magic Items, but even they wouldn't believe they could craft something like that.
Of course, this was a complete misunderstanding. What Rei possessed was an Artifact from the Ancient Magic Civilization—something extremely rare even outside the forest.
However, since no explanation had been given, there was no way Ragdo could know that.
"I don't know. But if Resume is saying that much, then does that mean this man named Rei has enough mana to heal the World Tree... is that correct?"
"Yes."
At Ragdo's words, Resume immediately nodded.
And in the next moment, he frantically shook his head.
"No, I'm sorry. That's slightly off. That man, Rei... he doesn't just have enough mana to heal the World Tree. He has enough to easily revitalize it further. On top of that, I believe he would still have a great deal of power to spare even after using that much mana."
"What did you say?"
Ragdo placed absolute trust in Resume's ability to sense mana, but even so, he couldn't help but ask again.
That was how unbelievable the statement was.
The mana required to heal the World Tree was something that even if every Dark Elf in this settlement worked together, they could barely manage to slow the progression of its illness.
To hear that he could not only fully cure it but also revitalize it on top of that was not something he could readily accept.
(Could he still be confused from the shock just now?)
Thinking this, he looked at Resume. But while he might have been confused when Rei first removed the ring, he didn't seem confused now that Rei had put it back on and they were talking.
(In other words... what Resume is saying is the truth?)
Ragdo stared intently at his right-hand man before eventually turning his gaze back to Rei.
Rei, on the receiving end of that gaze, stood composedly—as if to ask what had happened to the anger he had just shown—and waited for their conversation to finish.
Perhaps noticing Ragdo's gaze, Rei smiled and spoke.
"What's wrong? Are you done already?"
"...Yes. Unfortunately, I don't possess the ability to sense mana. But this man does, and I trust him. Given that, it's certain that you possess enough mana to heal the World Tree, isn't it?"
"And?"
Ragdo frowned in displeasure at Rei, who urged him to continue with an attitude that seemed to say he had no interest in such statements.
"And what?"
"Do you not have even a single apology for Marina, whom you relentlessly condemned in front of all these people? Because of your selfish assumptions, she was thoroughly berated by those lackeys of yours, wasn't she?"
What came out of Rei's mouth was a demand for an apology to Marina.
It wasn't a strange request by any means, but at the same time, it pushed Ragdo into an even tighter corner.
If he apologized here, his failure would be significant. He wouldn't say he'd lose all his influence over those around him, but there would definitely be a clear difference going forward.
He had publicly denounced Marina, who was loved by many, in front of such a large crowd. The consequences were certain to follow.
(Isn't there something? Something...)
Even if he apologized, he needed to somehow gloss it over and save face.
Wondering how to minimize the damage, Ragdo's gaze shifted to Rei. Or more accurately, to the ring on his finger.
Looking at the ring that had caused this whole incident, Ragdo spoke.
"I-In the first place, if you hadn't hidden your mana with that ring, don't you think this problem wouldn't have occurred? It's precisely because you were hiding your mana with that ring that you were misunderstood as not having enough mana to heal the World Tree."
"...If I hadn't been wearing the Ring of the New Moon, this exact scene would have unfolded the moment I entered this settlement, you know?"
Saying this, Rei glanced at the Dark Elves around him.
At the end of his gaze were the Dark Elves who had finally been relieved and were able to move freely again, thanks to Rei concealing his mana with the Ring of the New Moon.
Those with the ability to sense mana were generally directing gazes of awe toward Rei.
Still, the only saving grace was that while most of the gazes directed at Rei were filled with awe, they were not of the hostile or disgusted kind.
"That may be true... but it's also a fact that we couldn't sense your mana because of that ring. I'd like to ask for some leniency on that account."
Ragdo stated this firmly, but soon let out a sigh and spoke.
"However, it is a fact that I failed to see through it this time. As a Dark Elf proficient in handling mana, I am deeply ashamed. Given that, I too shall properly apologize to Marina-sama. ...I am sorry, Marina-sama. Regarding this matter, it was our mistake for failing to see through the mana concealment."
Seeing him apologize to Marina so openly in front of everyone, the surrounding Dark Elves reacted with expressions of admiration.
Rei, too, looked at Ragdo with a gaze of admiration, though in a different sense from the others.
(The fact that he didn't pile on any more excuses here is quite impressive. If he had done something like that, his influence would have definitely plummeted.)
Rei didn't know exactly what kind of position Ragdo held.
Even so, seeing him condemn Marina, it was easy to tell that he was at odds with her.
Moreover, seeing him pull something like a public execution in a place like this, there was no way Rei could feel any goodwill toward him.
"...Well then, it would be awkward for me to stay here any longer, so I'll be taking my leave. There's also the matter with Resume."
Saying this, Ragdo left the plaza, taking Resume with him.
Several Dark Elves, who appeared to be Ragdo's subordinates, followed after them.
Watching them go, Rei sighed, realizing that once again he had been dragged into a troublesome situation.